Rating: 3.5 Pulses

Rated PG-13

Drillbit Taylor first struck me as one of Owen Wilson’s paycheck projects, fitting between I-Spy and Shanghai Knights. Instead, I was actually laughing at what I expected to be a low-brow, slapstick-laden debacle. Drillbit Taylor is like Superbad’s inferior, younger brother.

The film follows the classic (read: formulaic) tale of a group’s first year at high school. Wade and Ryan (Hartley and Gentile), the real stars of the film, feel like genuine teenagers, perhaps because they’re actually the same age as the characters they portray. They have great rapport, and when they spout out lines that seem a little too clever or profane for their age, they remain convincing. Of course, credit must be given where writing credit is due. As do most projects involving Judd Apatow (co-producer) and/or Seth Rogen (co-writer), Drillbit Taylor often casts actors pitch perfect at delivering the writers’ witticisms.

Though Wilson excels in the hands of Wes Anderson, he seems somewhat out of place under Apatow and Rogen, and his scenes seem lackluster in contrast to those of his teenage cohorts. As a result of saving these scenes, the film suffers from a long running time of 102 minutes. A more merciless editor could have chopped it to 80 minutes (arguably the perfect length for any film).

It’s a shame this movie doesn’t break from its gimmicky teenagers-hire-a-homeless-bodyguard scenario when Wilson’s title role is the movie’s main shortcoming. I would have much preferred that the kids had employed Adam Baldwin (“Firefly’s” Jayne), making a cameo appearance during the bodyguard interview montage. At least then he could quickly dispose of the bullies with his favorite gun Vera and let these comical kids continue their hilarious quest to become “cool” hindered by teenage awkwardness rather than bullies or bodyguards.